{the paper variety - 1-2-3 recipe challenge!}

Hi everyone! Have you seen the new challenge at the paper variety? 1-2-3 --- so easy & fun --- and of course there is a super prize to win -- seriously, an entire kit from Artful Delight!!! :) :) :)

I bought this wooden "W" by Deco Art, at Hobby Lobby this winter.

I love the Scribble Scrabble pp that comes in the March Citrus Tree Studio kit!! Sounds funny, but it matches my livingroom so nicely. :) I altered this "W" to go on my wooden quilt shelf that is painted black. It really looks nice up there! :) My recipe = 1 flower, 2 pps and 3 buttons.

Materials - Deco Art wood letter, MM gold paint, Scribble Scrabble pp, Prima pp - I cut the bird and leaves from the Prima - and also applied a coat of mod podge to them for some durability. BG bling (cut apart pieces), Stampin' Up! rub on, jenni bowlin star rub, & FP buttons. The flower is made from a piece of gray felt. I cut a 1" strip of felt and then basted a stitch along the bottom of strip. Then I simply gathered the thread and tied together to make this flower - topped it with layered buttons - and I love how it turned out! :)

Thanks for coming by my blog! Hope you get a chance to play at the Paper Variety this week!!

hugs, patti

{card patterns #108}

Thursday is my great niece Kimberly's birthday. She is the daughter of my godson & nephew, Ryan. Ryan is two years older than my oldest son. When they were all in high school, they spent much time here at my house. Let's just say I used to feed him. LOL!

Anyway, his daughter is turning 6 years old!! He's having a party for her. :) :) This past week-end, I bought Kimberly a wooden bead set. She loves beads!! She really is a crafty little thing already. :) I also picked her up some pretty head bands, lip smackers, skittles & orange tic tacs. Instead of putting the little things into a gift bag, I thought...why not make her a little purse? So, this morning, I got out my fabric scraps and whipped up a little bag for Kimberly.

I've had these junkitz felt flowers in my stash...for what is it...maybe 5 years now? I couldn't ever part with them, and now I'm glad I didn't! I had a piece of orange corduroy that I just folded in half. Before stitching the sides together, I machine stitched the flowers on top. I cut a couple in half and stitched them along the sides of the bag. Then I added a yo-yo flower to the top of the one big flower on the front of the bag. Handstitched (and used Helmar glue) on the yo-yo flower and button. It's not going anywhere. ;) ;)

{the back}{close-up of front}

Then I had to go to work. Then I had to walk the dog. Then I had to make supper. Now I get to make the card to go with the gift! :) I used card patterns sketch #108.

I love this sweet jillibean blossoms pp. Core-dinations & kraft cs, a FP felt flower & handmade yo-yo fabric flower, pink sorbet twine from the Twinery, buttons from stash - all tied with orange DMC, make up this card for Kimberly.

Thanks to the card patterns DT girls for their beautiful inspiration!!

Thanks, also for coming by my blog.

Hope you're having a good day!! :)

hugs, patti

{you're so sweet.}

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Moxie Fab - Tuesday Trigger - a citrus celebration.

My first time playing @Moxie Fab - I saw the color combination and thought

"now that's a challenge"...but a fun one, right? How can you not feel good when you look at those happy cupcake liners? :) :)

I combined the Moxie Fab challenge with the challenge over at Twisted Sketches.

"you're so sweet"

The twist at Twisted is to add buttons to your card. I worked with my stash and some new Echo Park and jillibean pps. The bright orange cs is core'dinations, BG feltie & chip, jillibean die, offray ribbon, fiskars stamp, machine stitching & misc. buttons tied w/white DMC.

Thanks for coming by my blog today!

hugs, patti

{tic-tac-toe! a new challenge from the paper variety!!}

The choice is yours! Any way you choose to play, you will be a winner! :)

I went with the bottom row, three across, and created this lo.

{my favorite photo - please click for a bigger image.}
{My hubs - making my dreams come true. :) :)}

Look what you could win this week at the Paper Variety ----->

A beautiful kit from Birds of a Feather!!! Our sponsors are so generous! Thank you Birds of a Feather!! :)

To be eligible to win this wonderful prize, please link up your paper project to the Paper Variety by noon EST, next Tuesday, March 30, 2011. Create a lay-out, card, or tag - whatever you're feelin'....and it's a random draw - because we think you're all so fabulous, it would be too darn hard to choose a winner! :) :)

Thanks for coming by my blog!
Hope the sun shines on you today.
hugs, patti

{big baby blues!}

The challenge this week at The Paper Variety is a sketch by Jana Eubank.

The PV's design team has totally rocked it!!!
I'm a part of team B, which means it is my "off week", but I loved Jana's sketch and wanted to play. :)

This is my great nephew, Griffin. Is he not a doll? Such a sweet boy!!

I started w/a piece of kraft, added some blue Bazzill, and some embossed brown cs - can't remember who made that, but it is too cute. The frame was machine stitched w/red. The title letter stickers are AC & jillibean. Maya Road chip banner pieces were covered w/jillibean soup pp & sanded. Jute was added and then at the banner joints, I glued down the tops of some Bazzill blue brads. Using doodlebug letter stamps, I stamped the baby boy's name onto a jillibean die. A piece of stash chip was tied down w/blue DMC and lastly, I added some buttons, just for fun. :)

{look at those sweet little hands holding onto the Christmas gift bag.}


Thanks to the Paper Variety girls for their fab inspiration and also to Jana for her outstanding sketch!!!


Hope you all have a great day!
hugs, patti

{she learned to listen with her heart.}

My friend Tammy, at Citrus Tree Studios is having a challenge this month to alter a canvas.

On Friday, I saw my friend Bethany's blog; she is in a class with Christy Tomlinson - and what are they doing...but having fun w/canvas!! I googled the class and I'm too late for it this time. I need that class in order to learn how to paint a head. LOL!!

I decided to go ahead with a canvas and just use a dress form. I have this book "Taking Flight", by Kelly Rae Roberts, that I looked to for inspiration.

I plan to give this little canvas to my niece Sara. She is a 23 yo young mother of two sons. I'm sure it's not always easy for her....and isn't it nice when someone does a little something unexpected when it's not your birthday or Christmas? A "just because" kind of gesture? Sara had told me on Christmas Eve "I hope you made me something, Aunt Pat." Well, geez....all I had made for her was a Christmas ornament. So this is a "because I love Sara" gesture. :)

The pps I used on my canvas are by Crate. The wings are old Melissa Frances sparkly wings, stash trims, old k&company turquoise sparkly stickers, prima pearl bling that I cut and then placed on top of some Stampin' Up! rubs, 7 Gypsies rubs, MM & Delta paint & misc. button tied w/DMC. I machine stitched the trims down on the dress and hand stitched the button before applying mod podge to the canvas. {I just worked around the trims very carefully.} Everything was sanded, some things were inked w/brown ink.

If you are looking for a nice, friendly, fun & talented group of paper crafters to hang out with, come say "hi" at Citrus Tree! We love to welcome new friends. :)

Thanks for coming by my blog and have a great day!!

hugs, patti

{I've got sunshine on my mind!}

{{This project was featured at The Twinery on Facebook. Cool, right??}}

Feeling sunshine deprived, I spent a couple of hours in my craft room working with this pretty, sunshine yellow twine. The Twinery calls it "lemondrop". YUM!!!

This funky wall art is hanging in my craft room. The colors & sentiment make me happy. :)

I bought all of the wooden spools in separate bags, according to size, at the Hobby Lobby. I just love these little spools and wanted to make something fun and different with them.

I stitched over the thickers in the sentiment - and for the record, by the time I got to the last line, my sewing needle was gunked up and needed to be changed. {The price of progress, I guess. LOL!}

I also placed some MS punched hearts - from Cosmo Cricket pp under the word "together". The frame was inexpensive and also from Hobby Lobby. It's painted with Delta cream paint.

Hope the sun shines on you today!!!

Thanks so much for stopping by my blog. :)

hugs, patti

{doggone it!! - it's new challenge time at TPV!}

{the challenge}

The challenge at The Paper Variety this week is to create a paper project that reflects a "get well" theme.

I went with altering a gift bag. I've had these fabric dogs by Prima in my stash for a while...and when I got them out, I immediately thought "doggone it!!" ...thinking wouldn't it be cute to send to someone who had hurt themselves, wasn't feeling well, etc.? {I really love how this bag turned out!} :)

I first applied a Hambly white wood grain rub-on directly to the kraft bag. It went on smooth & tight. Next I added a piece of CC pp for the dog house roof. A piece of black bazzill cs, outlined w/jute made the door. The Prima dog was applied with pop dots and a black Cherry Arte rub-on was added to the bottom of the house. The title is AC Thickers letters - which I always add a bit of glue to, just to make sure they do not come loose. (Apply with a cotton swab and then it is less messy.) The tiny tag is by Maya Road. Inked sentiment is Inkadinkado, misc. buttons, and a bit of Offray ribbon finishes this gift bag. :) I can't help it. This bag makes me smile. :)

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The prize this week is BEAUTIFUL!!! It is a "Sophia Kit", from Dana Swadling, of Close to My Heart. Look at the paper!! The stamp set! The buttons!! The trim!! :) :)

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Can't wait to see what you create for our challenge this week!

Please link up to TPV by noon next Tuesday, March 15, for a chance to win Dana's beautiful prize!!!

Thanks for coming by my blog, and I hope everyone is feeling well! :)

hugs, patti

{yay!! paper variety blog candy winner!!}

The winner of my green blog candy is #24!!!

wendipooh13!! who said...

"LOVE LOVE LOVE your page!!!! and I love Monteray too, it's sooo pretty!!!! way to go girlie!!!!"

To honor my winner, I made a card. :)

I used Lucy's March sketch, from My Sketch World.

More of that Mustard Soup pp by jillibean that showed up in my mail yesterday. The yarn flower is handmade (because I refuse to spend $3.99 on a package of 3 when I have a ton of yarn in my craft room), FP button, & a tiny office tag w/dymo label maker sentiment.

Be on the look-out for a package of blog candy, Wendi!! :) :)

To everyone else who joined in the Paper Variety blog hop, I hope you had fun!!

I wish I could send you all out a prize. Thank you to all of my new followers - I hope when you come by my blog, you get a little bit inspired, pick up a tip, or at the least...smile. That would make me feel so good!! :)

hugs, patti

p.s. Here is a tutorial from Suzanne of TPV on the making of a yarn flower. Tips from me - use a chip circle for your base, use tacky glue and only a bit at a time, hold onto the yarn tail so that it doesn't get extra glue on it, and you will have a beautiful circle yarn flower. You can do it! :)

{cardabilities toot!!}

I'm so excited to tell my scrappy friends that I scored a spot on the cardabilities design team!!

The cardabilities sketches, by Karan Gerber, are always so hip and creative....and I will get to be one of the first card makers to play with them! What an honor for me!!! :) :) :)

The present cardabilities sketch #26 looks like this ~ I made this card tonight. Very quickly - for me, anyway. :)

{live the life you have imagined}
I used some jillibean soup Dutch Mustard pp, stickers, & butterfly die cut, prima yellow flower, fancy pants brown trim w/yellow twine from the Twinery, MM eyelets and a bit of jute.

Thanks to Karan Gerber for giving me this opportunity to have fun on a card DT. It's my first card DT - did I already say I was excited?? ;) :)

Thank you for coming by my blog!!

hugs, patti

{i hope you know how AWESOME you are...}

If you are here from the Paper Variety blog hop, please hop on over to here. :)

Our son (and baby) made the President's List last semester!! We were so totally happy for him - he worked really hard to get all A's and one A-. He posed with his letter from the college president for me, so that I could scrap it. {Made me such a happy mama!} :) :)

I used this sketch from Julie Bonner at Blue Moon Scrapbooking.

My friend, Melonie Madison, a Citrus Tree Studios DT member, had a challenge for February to stamp a background. I used some older Autumn Leaves stamps on kraft cs w/potter's clay ink by Memento. Then I cut out the circle, distressed the edges and machine stitched. Thanks for the fun challenge, Mel!! :) :)

It's snowing here today!! I'm off to bake some cupcakes.

Hope you all have a nice Sunday! Thanks so much for coming by my blog. :)

hugs, patti

{twisted sketches #49!}

If you are visiting my blog from The Paper Variety Blog Hop, please go here. :)

The twist this week at Twisted Sketches is "springtime". Here is the sketch - I so love the circles!! :)

{springtime} I began with a bazzill base and used American Crafts "City Park" pps. The ribbon is also American Crafts, which was machine stitched. I adhered twine to each cloud circle and then pop dotted the kites. Yellow twine was added for kite tails. Both the turquoise blue and yellow twine are from The Twinery. The Unity sentiment was stamped with Momento yellow ink.

Thanks to the twisted girls for this springtime sketch challenge!!

I had fun creating this cute little card. :)

Thanks, also, for coming by my blog!!

hugs, patti

{it's a blog hop @the paper variety!!!}

Hi everyone!

Welcome to the first PAPER VARIETY blog hop!

The creative designers at The Paper Variety will showcase their personal blogs this week. We have delicious BLOG CANDY too!!!! So much fun!!!! :) :)

If you are coming from Marilyn
you are in the right place! If not, head back to THE PAPER VARIETY to get started from the beginning and see a list of all the links if you get lost along the way. You don't want to miss a thing!
Our challenge this week is a COLOR challenge in honor of the upcoming St. Patrick's Day holiday.

You could win this grand prize from Your Scrapbook Stash!!!

In order to win this GRAND PRIZE you need to submit your own GREEN project to The Paper Variety by Tuesday, March 8, at NOON. If you submit before Sunday evening, you have a chance to have your blog featured on TPV!

Here's a little bit of green from me ~ a lay-out about the cypress tree. A wonderfully unique tree, only grown in the wild in two places in the entire world...and they're both on our California coastline. Pretty amazing, right? I think so!! :)

I used a Prima mask and some olive green glimmer mist to get my leafy effect. The pp is from the Twig collection by LYB.
I'm excited to be part of my first blog hop!!! I hope that you will become a follower of mine for a chance to win some green blog candy from me. :) :) :) I'll send you green prima flowers, green bling, green twine, green paint, green handmade felt flowers, green buttons, and a small green notebook to alter. {Go ahead and click my prize image for a scrump-dilly-icious view.}

And because it's my first blog hop.....I also want to send this along to be loved by another paper crafter. I've enjoyed this Elizabeth Kartchner book for a year now. :)
All you need to do to enter into the drawing for my blog candy is
leave a comment on this post and follow me...and you are in!!!

Now, you're going to want to hop on over to our sweet Suzy to see her green!!! :)

Hope you'll get a chance to play with us this week at The Paper Variety!!
Thanks for coming by my blog today! :) :)

hugs, patti